Stressed out! Businesses benefit when employees are less stressed.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: Health & Medicine - Workplace stress

In today's workplace, there are a number of pressures that can cause an employee stress. Deadlines, high expectations, less staff, more competition--all of these things can make doing a job more difficult. And it doesn't seem to matter what position a person is in.

"You see workplace stress affecting people in all strata of employment, from the executives in big companies to line staff at a factory to retail salespeople," explained Dr. Cleve Shirey, founder and director of the Meridian Psychiatric Consulting Group in Anchorage. The Meridian Group provides comprehensive psychiatric consultations to adults dealing with mood and anxiety disorders, psychiatric illnesses caused by medical and neurological illnesses, and life adjustment issues. "I'd say between 60 percent and 70 percent of my patients say that workplace stress is part of their problem; it has really become a huge issue."

OVERWORKED AND TIRED

Part of the problem is that Americans are working more, which leaves them less time outside the office. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, between 1970 and 2002, hours worked per person in the United States rose by 20 percent. And they're doing more with less--a stagnant economy means that many employees must now do more than ever before to make up for the fact that their company is understaffed.

The result of this overwork can result in both physical and psychological problems. Stress caused by overwork can result in excess anxiety, stomach aches, headaches, diarrhea, temper outbursts, unexplained anger, crying spells, nightmares, insomnia, impatience and even personality changes. Chronic stress can lead to high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, gastrointestinal distress and infertility, and can also increase the risk of heart attack.

"People suffering from work-related stress often say that they are more irritable and that they are more likely to lose their temper," said Shirey. "They feel negative and cynical, and sometimes may even find themselves on the verge of tears over an issue that typically wouldn't faze them.

"Patients often use the term 'overwhelmed' to describe how they are feeling," he added. "They may say that they are 'trapped' or 'stuck.'"

INCREASED DEMANDS

According to Shirey, there are many reasons that today's workers are feeling the pressure. "Staffs have been downsized, so they have to do more with fewer people," he said. "A lot of workers are experiencing increased demands and...